Civilian tips - restroom safety

[Laurie Dougherty]

Many of you are law enforcement officers and I welcome any input you can add to this article.  We are starting to teach both the pepper spray class and Refuse to Be A Victim classes.  This article is one that I will be sending to the news media in the Kane County area.    If you have tips that you feel I should add to this, please feel free to comment.  We would love your input.  Here is the "press release for next week"

Restroom Awareness

Refuse to be a Victim!

 

 

The familiar headline: Woman raped in bathroom, then beaten and left on floor.

 

If she is lucky, the physiological damage done to her that day will heal, as the psychological damage lingers on.

 

Unfortunately, an overwhelming number of those who will undergo similar trauma live in the serendipitous world of "It can't happen to them." "It always happens in another neighborhood, in another town, to someone older, younger, or less aware.”

 

That’s no longer the case as statistics indicate. 

 

The stark reality is that it can happen to them, anyone, anywhere, and often does. For most of the unsuspecting and unaware, it's just a matter of time.

 

Did I have fears? Sure. That's the reason I learned what I needed to learn to protect myself. What I used to fear most was that I didn't have, or would lose, the confidence that I needed to protect myself.  Since I couldn't fit my favorite law enforcement officer in my backpack, I needed to have a plan and practice it JIC (Just In Case.)

 

Woman get pap tests, mammograms, teeth cleaning, blood work, etc., all with the reasoning of preventing a catastrophic life event. Yet 90% of the women I know say, “Yep… personal protection is a good idea, but i never go anywhere unsafe, so why do i need to learn about what to do in the event of an unsafe encounter?” 

 

Most people are living in a fantasy world with the assumption that if they don’t look for trouble, it must not exist. If you don’t get an annual checkup, you will never be sick, right?  Wrong! Maybe dead wrong.

 

I’m sorry to tell you, but unsafe and threatening situations are everywhere. Especially today.

 

I feel so sorry for the women I have met that have been robbed of their confidence and/or are so afraid that they live paralyzed with fear, locked in their house or their work place.  There is a wonderful life to live out-of-doors. It would be a shame not to be able to enjoy it with confidence.

 

All it takes today to protect your self is a little bit of learning, practice and situational awareness. 

 

The aforementioned woman that was raped in the bathroom then and beaten and left on the floor may have totally avoided the situation by understanding and following these 10 simple suggestions ...

 

1-      Go where there are people.  If you need to use a restroom go into a restaurant rather than a questionable area.

 

2-      Look around.  Be aware.  Is there anyone suspiciously watching you? Did a stranger talk to you even innocently, maybe ask you directions or for the time?  Maybe you were being interviewed for an assault.

 

3-      Once IN a restroom, look around. Are all of the stalls so dirty that you naturally pick the only clean one? That may be the perpetrator’s hiding place. People who harm you plan exactly how their script is going to play-out. Your job is to interrupt their script. It may have been made simply too easy for you to pick the cleanest stall in the restroom.

 

4-      Carry Pepper-Spray, know how to use it and have it handy.  You took drivers ed, cooking classes, computer classes. Why not take a Pepper-Spray class?

 

5-      Notice your surroundings and who’s there. Play the “What-if” game. What if there was someone in here, how would i get out the fastest? How would I get the attention of others?  Maybe even carry a shrill whistle to call for help. If you had to climb under/over the stall door to get out, could you?

 

6-      Does the stall door open in or out? If it opens in, put your feet up against the door to reinforce the locking mechanism.  Don't put things under or over the door that can be easily stolen.

 

7-       Look at the floor in the other stalls.  Are there "feet" in the bottom area of the stalls you pass by?  If there are, look at the shoes. Men’s or women’s? Is there noise coming from a stall where you see no feet? It’s okay to look and be sure.

 

8-      Notice how many stalls there are. Are they all filled? Is there anyone pretending to be waiting when there are empty stalls? 

 

9-      Look to see if it all fits.  Is there something out of order? 

 

10-   Keep extra money handy. If someone demands and threatens you for money, throw a $20.00 at them and run!

 

Don't be embarrassed to change your mind.  Trust your intuition. If you think something is wrong... It probably is.  Your intuition is your Guardian Angel. If you walk into a room your mind may see something that your eyes may have not yet recognized as trouble. Trust your mind. 

 

Recognition of a pending situation contributes to the greatest form of prevention.

Never give up!

 

To learn more about this and other topics, sign up for a Refuse to Be A Victim class at www.NotMeNotMineNotToday.com   A seminar is scheduled for October 26^th at 6pm in St. Charles, IL. Classes can be scheduled for your group or organization. For more information call 1-888-400-1029.